Organised crime may be infiltrating AFL

AFL clubs will have their staff audited, sports science staff registered and be instructed to undertake mandatory reporting of any doping issue in an attempt to stamp out widespread illegal drug use across the league.

The AFL will also establish an outlet for whistleblowers and have called delegates from all 18 clubs to meet regularly with league officials from next week.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said on Thursday night that the league was determined to do whatever it could to eliminate drug use, match-fixing or links to organised crime.

'If you are out there and you think that you can run the gauntlet of cheating in this system ... make no mistake – you will be caught.' Photo: Wayne Taylor

The latest response follows the release of a report from the Australian Crime Commission, which exposed widespread criminal activity within Australian professional sport.

Advertisement

It comes just days after the AFL and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority launched an investigation into the use of supplements among Essendon players last year.

Demetriou said the AFL and National Rugby League were two sports that understood they needed to do more following the release of the ACC report. The AFL Commission called an emergency meeting after the report was released to discuss what action the league could take.

Demetriou said the league could not divulge how many clubs and players might be suspected of illegal activity because of confidentiality clauses in the ACC report. But he warned anyone pushing the boundaries of fairness to watch out.

''There will be people at all of our clubs, working at all different levels, which would include players, that would have had a wake-up call,'' he said. ''They will be sitting there today thinking 'what should I do?' And it's a very good question.

''If you are out there and you think that you can run the gauntlet of cheating in this system, whether it be to do with the salary cap, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, gambling, make no mistake - you will be caught.

''After today make absolutely no mistake - you will be caught.''

Demetriou said as part of the AFL's attempt to weed out the ''scientists and peddlers'' who pushed the boundaries of fairness when it came to supplements, all clubs would have to report exactly what substances their players took and who was issuing them.

Despite admitting to fears of illegal activity within clubs, Demetriou defended the AFL's history on drug-testing players, as he said the ACC report outlined it was impossible to detect some substances that sports science staff were experimenting with.

He would not divulge the sort of sanctions players, clubs or staff could be hit with if found to be cheating, but referred to the World Anti-Doping Authority code, which sets mandatory two-year bans for athletes found to have banned substances in their system. He also indicated the AFL could charge offenders with bringing the game into disrepute.

Demetriou also refused to outline whether the AFL had put in place contingency plans for the 2013 season if large numbers of Essendon players were found guilty of taking banned substances. He said the joint ASADA-AFL investigation had to run its course. The Bombers kick off the NAB Cup on Friday week.

The AFL is also expected to urge state governments to share information with the league on drug use and club links to criminal activity and to legislate against the practices, as Victoria has on the issue of tanking games.

Demetriou, with AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick seated beside him, urged fans not to lose faith in the sport despite this week's revelations, which he admitted ''disappointed, angered and dismayed'' him.

But he warned of the implications of what has occurred in sports overseas, when fans felt they were being dudded.

''People want to see sport at its purest. When they start to doubt whether athletes are performing purely it can be a long way back,'' he said.

90 comments

No point doing an audit of the supplements that clubs are taking as of 5pm today as I'm sure all the dodgy or questionable ones will have been flushed down the toilet. AFL needs to do an audit over the past 24 months of all supplements taken but it will still be like chasing wiind, I'm sure no club is going to disclose illegal supplements if they can get away with it, as that is obviously what they have been doing up to now and won't want half their list suspended for 2 years.

Commenter

Hugh Hefner

Location

Perth

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 4:49PM

Exactly Hugh!

Commenter

undefined

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 4:58PM

Not the players fault though if they were given "dodgy" supplements. If I were a player I would just trust that it was legit wouldn't you?

Commenter

JJ

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 5:30PM

No, I disagree. Although it would be nice to audit the past 2 years, that would be extremely difficult. But by putting these measures in place now, the AFL can stop whatever illegal practices are happening now, and prevent any further illegal practices from continuing. It's not perfect, and Essendon may bear the brunt of this (hopefully they're all clear), but it has to happen.

Commenter

John

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 6:09PM

Nice sentiments Demetriou but you got two problems:

1. You can't stop young professional athletes with very short careers wanting to gain an advantage in a carnivorous competition like the AFL; and

2. The scientists are so far ahead of you and the drug agencies it's not funny.

Commenter

Cathy Little

Location

Prahran

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 9:17PM

Andrew Dimetriou is trying to be a clever a tactician but fails. He has know something wasnt right for months and did nothing - now he comes out all guns blazing to divert attention away from his incompetent leadership. Ben Cousins, tanking, drugs, clubs broke - really, has there been another leader with a worse record - and dont tell me how much money he has brought in. Blind freddy could have done that. Dimetriou has given us byes when we dont want them, meatloaf, rule changes etc etc etc. He bans people from their trade for insider knowledge but promotes betting - the REAL cause of the desire to cheat. Organised crime is not interested in Grand Finals. Wake up - we need a change and we need it now. If he had any interity he'd sack himself! Why wont the media take him on???

Commenter

The right stuff

Location

Canterbury

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 10:10PM

Hird Watson Thompson Evans are gone. How could they not know. Essendon should be banned for 5 years. 3 times caught for salary cap breaches sorts not drugs. 5 years and life for officials.

Commenter

bert

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 10:21PM

Nice idea Andrew, but what about recreational drug and alcohol use, and the inevitable links such use has with crime and the crime figures who are naturally attracted to the high income and high profile of afl players - with anecdotal accounts of players binging on alcohol and recreational drugs like cocaine and speed, does the afl have a plan to change this culture?

Commenter

Meme

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 4:56PM

You believe recreational drug use is more important to uncover than entire teams cheating? Really? Also your assumption that recreational drug users will be linked to crime figures is ridiculous. They'll just be getting of from a mate, who gets it from a mate.

The percentage of the population who use recreational drugs is significant (between 9 - 14% of Australians regularly use cannabis). Without even considering other drugs, does that mean the same percentage are best mates with a crime figure?

Commenter

Mr Environment

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

February 07, 2013, 5:22PM

Mr Environment.Naive much? of course the fact they get it from someone means automatically they are connected with underworld. As is every illegal user. What??? You think they pop into Coles to buy the stuff.

8 Feb
AUSTRALIA'S top sporting codes have been rocked by revelations that organised crime is behind the increasing use of banned performance-enhancing drugs by ''multiple athletes'' across sporting codes and possible attempts to fix matches and manipulate betting markets.

8 Feb
THE sports scientist at the centre of an investigation into the use of supplements by Essendon players in the AFL is an owner of a ''rejuvenation clinic'' in Bondi Junction that sells peptides online.